Zeta Beta Tau - Cornell University

THE EDGECLIFF NEWS PAGE 2 I took my grandson, Ben, on a college tour. He's only a junior in high school this year, but already curious about what lies ahead. He's an avid fisherman and heard that the fishing was great around Dartmouth. (I know, I know, kids have crazy ideas about how to pick a col- lege.) I insisted the lakes and rivers around Cornell have even greater fish- ing and we should check it out. Turns out, I might be right. I joined Zeta Beta Tau my freshman year and graduated from Cornell arts and sciences in 1967 and, as it turned out, had not been back for 50 years. I heard that the chapter had gone through some tough times but was coming back to life. I was hoping Ben and I could eat dinner with the brothers and that Ben could sleep over to get a feel for fra- ternity life. I contacted Mike Cimini '92 and Dave Burrows '91 with the Kappa Foundation who put me in touch with the chapter president at the time, Alex Jalazo '19. Alex was amazing. He went out of his way to warmly welcome us, in- troduced the guys, and showed us how things worked. We got a chance to meet and talk with a dozen of the brothers at dinner. The energy and commitment of these young men was palpable. The spirit and pride of the current Zeta Beta Tau is very impressive. As I understand, Kappa has the second highest GPA on the hill. I told stories of the good old days and they told new stories. I explained to Ben that a reference to "the city" at Cornell means New York City—there is no other. It's still true. The founding class of the reestablished Zeta Beta Tau brotherhood had graduat- ed last spring, and Alex and many of the men we met joined as the second class. Katy is the chef and sort of plays the role of housemother to "her boys." She runs an open kitchen. Nobody messes with Katy. I left after dinner and Ben stayed over to get to know the guys. He loved it. I'm not sure what all happened, but I know Ben made some money on a basketball game bet. Now, Cornell is Ben's first choice. There's more to life than fishing. Nice going, Kappa. While our trip to Kappa was a wonder- ful experience, we found the facility in need of attention. The grounds outside of the building at One Edgecliff look fine. However, the interior of the house is a different matter. The house took quite a beating during the interim when it was rented out, and the result is not the Zeta Beta Tau I remember. There are no curtains and very little furniture on the first floor. Things are more than a little dinged up. The basement needs work. No composite pictures of the brothers from back in the day or other pictures are on the walls. The composites are hid- den away for safe keeping. It's time to bring the composites back out and spruce things up. I'm sending in a check. You should too. And you should visit if you can. The renewed energy is incredible. They'd love to see you. You can connect with Russ at wrn210@nyu.edu. Eugene Nagel '49 recalls re-entering Cornell after serving in WWII. A famous member of their class at the time was Bud Strauss of Levi Strauss. Bud brought five of his polo ponies with him. The members he knows go back to the early '40s and he would like to know if there are any members of his class still living. Bertram Pitt '53 retired as professor emeritus from the University of Michigan School of Medicine, but he is still active in designing and running clinical trials in patients with heart failure. His son, Geoffrey, is the head of cardiovascular research at Cornell Medical School. Bertram lives in Ann Arbor, Mich. E-mail: bpitt@umich.edu Alfred "Skip" Wilder '62 reconnected in February with Brother Nate Isikoff '64 and his wife, Suzan. E-mail: skipwilder@ieee.org John Cobey '66 is still practicing law and living in Ohio. As an alumnus he's remained in contact with his brothers, including working professionally with Brother Andrew Berger '66. E-mail: jcobey@yahoo.com Hyman Gottlieb '78 celebrated his second anniversary with his second wife. They have been together for 12 years now and enjoy life together. E-mail: hdavidgottliebdpm@gmail.com Adam Kressel '09 is excited to announce that he and his wife, Alyssa, are expecting a son this June. E-mail: adamkressel@gmail.com A RETURN VISIT TO ONE EDGECLIFF PLACE Russ Neuman '67 Recounts Introducing His Grandson to Kappa A L U M N I N E W S Welcome, New Initiates Fall 2017 Daniel Greene Southborough, Mass. Industrial Labor Relations Jared Scherl Tenafly, N.J. Psychology

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